One Thousand Birds
by Ryouko Akizakura
Summary: Rin takes running to the memorial in search of Kakashi. What she finds is a newly broken ninja. Can she pick up the pieces in time for their next mission? Or will she cut her fingers on the glass? KakaRin. Read and Review.


This is my first KakaRin story, and I finished it in one day! I was sooo excited. Sadly, I do not own Naruto. I wish I did. Like the rest of us.

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Silver hair. Black eyes. A cool and calm personality. All of these things are what I fell in love with. These things are what I wished for day after day. Every time I saw them, my heart soared. Every time I saw them hurting, I made it my duty to heal them. Every day I'd wake up, hopping around my room, anxious to see them again. I found myself running down the street of the Leaf village's main road, my legs moving easier than the day before, since this was the week after my former teammate, Obito Uchiha, had passed away, and after I had confessed my feelings to Kakashi Hatake, my sole remaining teammate that was my age, who fought to protect me that day. I ran faster still, my eyes scanning the street, looking from side to side. I turned into the meadow outside the village square, running to the memorial, the dirt flying out behind me as I picked up my legs, running quicker than I ever have. Trees flew past me, as I tore down the path, flower petals flying out behind me when I passed them. _He has to be here…That's the only place I can think of…_I saw a shape standing in front of a black stone, flowers dropped on the ground in front of it, accompanied by lonely orange goggles. I felt tears coming, and one slipped down my right cheek, which clung stubbornly to my skin, refusing to let go. I ran toward the shape, barely able to make out the distinctive features of Kakashi, which caused my heart to skip a beat. I slowed to a stop, walking toward him slowly, noticing his tense shape. He was on the ground, his knees tucked under him. He turned to look at me over his shoulder, his silver bangs shielding his eyes from the wind. I took two more steps toward him, the stubborn tear finally falling, others hot on its tail. His black eyes focused on my tears, and he looked away sadly. _He's hating himself…Again…_I stepped up beside him, looking down at the memorial, and seeing Obito's name.

"He doesn't blame you." I murmured quietly. He didn't answer, silently staring at the engraving with a tortured expression. I waited, my patience rising up inside me. _This might take a while…I've been trying to get him to talk for a week now…_Kakashi closed his eyes, and looked away from the statue, obviously holding back tears. _A shinobi must never show his feelings. No matter what the circumstance is. Feelings are a weakness that only cloud his judgment and weaken his sense of duty. _I rested my right hand on Obitio's name, and sighed. _Obito, can you tell Kakashi you don't blame him? _

"It's alright, Kakashi." I breathed. His head swung toward me, his eyes wide.

"What?" He asked, watching me. I closed my eyes and dropped my head slightly.

"Obito isn't mad at you." I replied, keeping my voice soft and gentle, which was harder than I thought, since I wanted to break down and cry too. He shook his head harshly, turning away from me.

"It's my fault he died. If only I had listened to him. If only…" His voice broke off, as he looked down. I sighed. _Why won't he understand? _I lifted my right hand up off of the memorial, and held it by my face, holding back butterflies. _I…Have to do something…_I reached my hand toward his cheek, carefully inching it toward him. He didn't move, the wind gently ruffling his bangs, which gently grazed my fingers. _He's so vulnerable…I've never seen him like this…_He leaned toward my hand slightly, almost like he wanted me to touch him. I pulled my hand back slightly, surprised. When I saw the tiny little tear fall down his face, I caught my breath. _I…Have to do it…_I moved my hand toward him again, slowly reaching for his cheek. Soft skin met my palm, as my hand touched him, rubbing his cheekbone gently. The nerves in my hand tingled, butterflies flying up through my stomach, begging to get out. My cheeks turned red slightly, quickly returning to their original color, as I got a grip on my emotions. He shook his head into my palm, grabbing my hand in his, keeping his eyes closed. _He's got it worse than me…_I knelt down, and looked at him gently, brushing his bangs out of his face tenderly.

"Don't worry. There are a lot of things each of us could've done differently, but, it's all over now. We can't rewind time, or do it all over again. I'm sure Obito knew that. You just relax. No one blames you or is mad at you. Obito sacrificed himself to save you. Remember that, Kakashi." I soothed, holding back sobs. His eyes opened, desperately sad.

"But what about my abandoning you? You're just going to put that aside like it never happened? It doesn't matter how much you care about me or if Obito saved me from dying. I'm a horrible teammate." He replied, his voice hard. _Kakashi…_I rubbed his cheek gently.

"If you had truly abandoned me, you never would have come to save me. You would have just left me there to die." I answered, seeing him flinch. Kakashi shook his head again, tears flying all over the place.

"But I…" He replied, his voice quiet. Without thinking, I reached over, and wrapped my arms around him, holding him gently as I cried, letting my tears go.

"I know this is hard. It's rough on all of us. But you can't just take all of the blame on your shoulders, Kakashi. It's my fault too. If only I'd have seen them coming, instead of standing there like an idiot, I never would've gotten captured in the first place." I sobbed, screwing my eyes shut tightly. Kakashi hugged me back, burying his face into my hair.

"It was Obito and I's job to look after you. To protect you. We both failed to do that. Don't blame yourself for this." He whispered. My heart pounded at how close we were, but my head ignored it, focusing on comforting him.

"You're forgetting something. Something important. I'm the medical ninja. It's my job to heal you, and protect you. If only I had turned around or been more alert, I would've been able to prevent this whole thing from happening." I murmured back, Kakashi tensing in my arms.

"Please don't." He sobbed, looking up at the sky. _Please Obito…I need your help…_I received no answer, obviously, because Obito was dead. I cried harder, my heart beating so hard, it hurt my rib cage.

"Rin…" Kakashi breathed, looking back at me, his grip loosening as he pulled back slightly, taking in my horribly sad expression.

"Obito! Please…" I cried, holding Kakashi tighter, full on bawling now. I knew it was stupid to call for Obito, but I couldn't stop. It's almost like I expected him to come running, late as usual, wiping at his eyes. Kakashi stayed still, staring at me in shock. I buried my face into the front of his right shoulder, my tears stinging my eyes as I blinked.

"Rin, calm down. It's alright." Kakashi soothed, taking me into his arms again, rubbing my back as I hiccupped like an idiot. I cried like a baby, as I let all of my sadness and pain go.

"Obito…Please forgive me…" Kakashi murmured into the wind, and pulled back, holding my shoulders. I wiped at my eyes, and took a deep breath, shoving my emotions down deep. I regained my composure, and looked back at him, my eyes clear of pain and agony. He stood up, and rested his hand on Obito's name, closing his eyes.

"Rin, I think you're right." His voice was barely audible, I only just heard it. I looked up quickly.

"You-You do?" I stammered, turning toward him. He nodded.

"When I think of Obito, I don't think of the washout I used to pick on. I think of…" He smiled slightly. I stood up next to him, resting my hand on the memorial, my fingers brushing Kakashi's in the process.

"You think of…?" I asked, looking at Kakashi confusedly. He smiled, closing his eyes, and dropping his head.

"I think of the side of him that came out in his finest hour. I was surprised when he killed that enemy ninja. I don't think I've ever been more surprised in my life. Not even when he mentioned my father." He laughed slightly. I nodded.

"I would've been surprised too." I replied, and then turned back to the memorial. _Whatever you just did, Obito, thank you…_

"It wasn't Obito, Rin." Kakashi's voice drifted toward me from my left. I turned toward him.

"What?" I asked. Kakashi looked back at me.

"You just said that whatever Obito just did, thank you. I'm saying he didn't do anything." He replied, impatience creeping back into his voice. _That's the Kakashi I know…And love…_I cocked my head, deciding to play stupid.

"Then who did it? And what?" I asked, blinking a couple times for effect. Kakashi's eyes didn't break.

"It was you, Rin. Thank you for talking some sense into me." He replied, giving me a gentle smile. I felt tears come to my eyes as I smiled back, warmth surging into my chest. _I did it…I healed him…Without Obito's help…_ Kakashi reached up, and wiped my tears away gently.

"Why are you crying?" He asked, his face skeptical. I shook my head.

"Don't worry about it. We have to go. Sensei's waiting for us." I replied, turning away, and taking off down the path. _Thank you Obito…_I didn't hear footsteps behind me, and I turned around, seeing Kakashi staring at me, his hand still resting on the memorial.

"I'll be back, Obito." He murmured to the rock, and jogged after me. I waited, and we started walking back toward the village.

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The next day, the only thing I could see was blood. Anyone's blood. So much blood that my heart couldn't take it. While Kakashi and Sensei went off to fight, I stayed behind in the trenches where the wounded ninja were, healing their wounds. I held back tears, knowing that Jounin were watching my every move, knowing that in my movements, I wanted to cry. I just held my hand over the wounded ninja, my chakra slowly healing them.

"Chunin, we got more coming in!" A Jounin I had just healed five minutes ago called.

"It looks like, the White Fang…" Another one mused, and I wrenched my head up, looking at the two Jounin, seeing one of them carrying someone on their back. My Sensei came out from around the corner, bloodied up, but able to walk. I ran toward him, and he lifted his head.

"Rin, don't worry about me. Look after Kakashi." He ordered, grabbing a medical pack I had made. I nodded, as the Jounin gently laid Kakashi down on a clean mat. I knelt down beside him, holding my hand to my mouth. His arms and legs were laced with scratches, but there was one large cut down the front of his body, deep, and bleeding. I slid my hand under his bangs, his forehead warm, meaning he was still alive, to my relief. I kept my right hand on his forehead, and shook out my left one, getting the pins out of it. I closed my eyes, and centered myself. I felt Kakashi flinch, but I didn't break my concentration. I felt my chakra flow into my hand, the green fire lighting. I opened my eyes again, and held my hand over his large wound, holding back tears. His forehead got colder and colder, as more and more blood left his body. I knew I had to pick up the pace, so I focused all of my chakra into healing him, knowing that I could die too.

"Don't worry Kakashi…I will never allow you to die like this!" I vowed fiercely, putting my right hand next to my left, more of my chakra flying into my right hand as the fire got bigger. I felt myself get weaker, but I shook it off, refusing to be selfish and stop. The wound started to heal, the blood drying up. Green sparkles gathered on the edges of the openings, and when they blew away, newly healed skin took their place. My head started spinning, but I didn't care, since I had to give him more blood now. I moved my hand over a bowl of water, and rested my hand on the surface. I lifted it up, the water clinging to my palm like a bubble. The bubble turned blood red, and I held it over Kakashi, my hand trembling. I lowered it to his skin, the bubble slowly dissolving into his heart. My hand inched toward his heart as the bubble slowly sank through his skin, until finally I felt his heart beat against my fingers. I touched his forehead again, warmth coming back to it. I sighed, and wiped my own forehead, sweat coming off of it.

"Rin…Thank you…"A pained voice said quietly, and I looked down, seeing Kakashi's eyes open and glowing weakly. I shook my head, smiling slightly.

"Don't worry about it." I replied, and he laughed quietly.

"I must look like a mess…You should've seen Sensei's face when I got sliced." He sighed. I looked away. _I can imagine what his face looked like…_Kakashi closed his eyes, and fell completely still.

"You look…So…" I breathed brokenly, reaching out with my right hand, my mind mentally saving this image. The wind ruffled his bangs, his face soft and relaxed. I had never seen him so defenseless, not even when he had been brought to me half dead, or when he was crying at the memorial. I knew him to be a strong individual. I loved him for that. I cherished him for that. Seeing him this weak and vulnerable shook me to the core. My hand started to tremble violently, and my vision blurred, as a wave of dizziness overtook me. _Looks like it's my time to die…My chakra is gone…_I felt my head fall onto Kakashi's chest, my hand barely touching his cheek. I slipped into unconsciousness, all feeling slowly fading away as blackness took over. When the black cleared, I saw a shape. A familiar shape.

"Obito!" I ran toward him, and he smiled, holding his arms out. He hugged me tightly, and I cried hard.

"Obito, I've missed you so much!" I sobbed. He nodded.

"I know. I've heard every single one of your requests." He replied, pulling backwards. I stared back at him, my eyes wide.

"And?" I asked. He smiled.

"I can't help you. I'm not allowed to interfere with destiny." He answered. I narrowed my eyes.

"I'm dead right now, right?" I asked. He shook his head.

"This isn't the world for you to come to yet." He answered. I jerked my head backwards, widening my eyes.

"But my chakra-" I started. Obito shook his head.

"Isn't completely gone. You're unconscious." He answered. I shook my head. He hugged me again, and the white space we were standing in started to glow green, my chakra slowly coming back. I felt the air vibrate, my heart beating hard. I looked up at Obito.

"Why did you save Kakashi?" I asked. He smirked.

"I wanted to prove something to him. That's all." He replied. I nodded, and looked down.

"I know that you love me, Obito." I murmured. He flinched in surprise.

"You do?" He asked. I nodded, looking back at him.

"Kakashi told me. But I…" I started, trying to find the right words. He laughed.

"I know. You love Kakashi. It's alright. I knew it when I was alive anyway. There's no need to feel bad about it, Rin." He answered. I smiled, and hugged him again. We stood there, hugging each other, as my chakra slowly came back. Several minutes passed, as more of my tears fell. Obito looked around.

"As impatient as ever, I see…" He muttered, letting go of me. I looked around, trying to find what he was talking to. Obito gave me a gentle push in the back.

"Rin!" An outside voice called, the sound echoing across the white room Obito and I were in. I turned around, seeing Obito smile and wave.

"I don't want to leave…" I replied to the voice. I heard it start to sob.

"Rin, please don't leave me…" The voice cried softly, and I shook my head.

"I'm not leaving-" I felt another shove. I whirled around. Obito stood there, a happy expression on his face.

"Kakashi's calling for you. You'd better go." He instructed. I nodded, and looked down.

"I'm going to miss you, Obito." I replied, then turned, closing my eyes, dissolving into green light.

_

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_

Where am I…? Am I dead…? Am I alive…?

I heard sobs right by my head. _Kakashi…Can it be…? _I opened my eyes, seeing silver hair, black eyes. _It is…_

"Kakashi…" I sighed, blinking my eyes. He didn't move.

"Could you get your head off of my chest? It kind of hurts now that you have all of your weight on top of my lungs." I continued, twitching my fingers. Kakashi lifted his head, and looked at me, tears falling down his cheeks. I smiled slightly, blinking again. It took him a few seconds to register that I was alive, but when it did, he lifted my back off of the ground, and hugged me tightly.

"Rin!" He cried. Pain flew up and down my spine, the sudden movement stunning me for thirty seconds.

"Ow, Kakashi that hurts." I complained, sitting still. He stood up, lifting me up with him.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really glad that you aren't dead. Losing two friends in the span of one week would really suck." He replied, setting me down. I nodded, and looked him over, brushing my fingers across where the wound had been.

"Looks like it healed nicely. You should be good to go." I smiled, looking up at him. Kakashi smiled back, and nodded, drawing his sword blade, and holding it in front of him, his sharingan glowing menacingly.

"I won't let you down, Rin. Not especially after you saved my life." He replied. He nodded once, then turned, walking back toward the battlefield. I had this sensation that he wasn't going to come back again, like a canyon was opening up between us. I held my hands under my chin, tears sliding down my face in a constant line, as Kakashi walked away from me, step by step. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I ran up to him, and flung myself against his back, wrapping my arms around his stomach.

"Kakashi!" I cried, my voice high-pitched as it rose throughout the small camp the Leaf village ninja had set up. He stopped stock still, not turning, not even taking a breath.

"Please, come back to me alive…I don't want to have to see you like that again. Please Kakashi, promise me…"I sobbed against his shoulder blade, my tears wetting his shirt. Kakashi still didn't turn, he just waited.

"I can't promise you that." He replied. I lifted my head up in surprise, as he turned his head to look at me out of his sharingan eye.

"But…" I started, the wind picking up. His bangs fell into his eyes, and his face straightened out into a single smooth line.

"Rin, I know how you feel about me…And I feel the same way, but…My duty as a Leaf village ninja comes first. I wish I could stay behind with you, but I can't. I owe it to my father. As well as Obito." He replied, breaking my grip on him by gently removing my hands.

"Kakashi, you…" I started. He nodded once, gently putting his hand on top of my head.

"Yeah, I do. But, I have to go. I'll come back, dead or alive. Don't worry, this won't be the last time you'll ever see me. I promise you." He answered. I leaned in, and gave him a kiss on the cheek, the black mask he wore over his face gently tickling my lips as they brushed over it.

"Now you have to come back." I replied, pulling away. He stood there, frozen in shock. I smiled playfully, and gave him a gentle shove.

"Go, Kakashi. Sensei needs you." I continued, giving him another shove. He came back to himself, and nodded.

"R-Right. I'll be back." He turned and ran into the rolling plains, disappearing over the hill. I smiled, as the wind blew through the medical camp gently. A newly healed Jounin stepped up next to me.

"That's some crush you have there. Asking him to promise you something like that. Do you think he'll keep it?" He asked, looking over at me. I heard chirping birds, as the plains lit up with blue flashes.

"Chidori…One Thousand Birds…" I murmured, watching Kakashi streak around like a comet, not more than a few miles away. I closed my eyes, sighing.

"What was that?" The Jounin next to me asked. I looked back at Kakashi, barely able to keep up with his astonishing speed.

"Chidori, One Thousand Birds." I repeated, my heart pounding. The Jounin next to me's eyes lit up.

"So that's Kakashi's own jutsu, huh? It's pretty flashy." He pointed out. I nodded, as the ground shook. I saw Kakashi holding Chidori in front of him, a metal blade coming at his face. _Chidori! One Thousand Birds! _

"You can do it, Kakashi…C'mon…" I murmured, as Chidori shook the ground again, dirt flying up into the air. When the dust cleared, the blue flash continued to fly around, the birds chirping. I jumped up into the air once, as the Jounin next to me cheered.

"He did it!" I cried, clapping my hands. Other ninja were coming to watch Kakashi fly around like a lightning bolt, obliterating anyone who stood in his path. The enemies fell before his Chidori, as the blue flash drew further into the distance. I grabbed a medical pack, and took two steps out the door, pulling out two kunai.

"Wait, where are you going?" One of them asked me. I kept my eyes on the faint blue light on the horizon, and lowered my head.

"I'm going to help him keep his promise." I replied, taking off. The Jounin called for me to come back, but I didn't listen, continuing to run, faster and faster. I saw yellow hair, and recognized it to be Sensei's. I knelt down next to him, behind a rock.

"Sensei, I came out here to help you, and Kakashi. What are your orders?" I asked, my knee hitting the ground hard. Sensei turned around, and smiled.

"Rin, thank you for coming. Remember that jutsu I taught you?" He asked. I widened my eyes.

"That jutsu? The Rikku Hana one?" I asked, confused. He nodded.

"Do it now." He ordered. I stepped out from behind the rock, and focused my chakra into my right fist, closing my eyes. The instant Kakashi flew past me, I tightened my right hand.

"HIIIYYYY!!!" I cried, slamming my fist down into the ground. My chakra flowing out into the ground. Thirty seconds later, a huge flower burst out of the ground, shaking the earth, and opening up. Kakashi slid to a stop beside me, Chidori crackling in his right hand. I stood up straight, watching the flower's petals stretching out into ropes, which snaked around the enemy ninja, grabbing them by their waists, and pulling them inside the flower. Once the enemies were cleared out, the flower closed, and slid back into the ground, taking the ninja with it. I wiped the dust from my mouth, my lip curling up.

"Rikku Hana, Land Flower." I announced proudly, as the dust cloud cleared. Kakashi looked over at me, Chidori still active.

"When did you learn that?" He asked. I pointed to Sensei.

"Last week. I asked him to train me while you were unconscious. He ended up teaching me Rikku Hana." I replied, my eyes still on the horizon. Sensei came up alongside us.

"Are we ready to go?" He asked, looking from Kakashi's Chidori to my tightened right hand. I nodded, Kakashi nodded, and we all headed out, toward the setting sun. The sound of birds filled my ears, as Kakashi ran on ahead, cutting through enemies like it was child's play. _Chidori! One Thousand Birds! _


End file.
